The Google cars do not have a steering wheel, brakes or gas pedal but come equipped with sensors and software designed to help them steer clear of accidents. The driver has a button he or she can push to stop the car in case of emergency. The cars can't go any faster than 25 miles per hour.

"We took a look from the ground up of what a self-driving car would look like," Brin said at the Code conference.

It's unclear if Google plans to manufacture the cars or if it will decide instead to supply the technology to carmakers. But Brin said he's hopeful regulators will agree that cars can operate safely without a driver.

So far the cars have operated without incident, Brin said. They have two feet of foam on the front and use plastic instead of glass.